This invention relates to an air bag restraint assembly for use in a vehicle.
Vehicles have previously included inflatable air bags for providing occupant restraint during abrupt acceleration or deceleration such as during an impact with another vehicle or a fixed object.
Prior vehicle air bag restraint assemblies noted by an investigation conducted in connection with the present invention are disclosed by U.S. Pat. No. 5,242,192 Prescaro et al.; U.S. Pat. No. 5,303,951 Goestenkors et al.; U.S. Pat. No. 5,326,131 Yokota et al.; U.S. Pat. No. 5,326,132 Musiol et al.; U.S. Pat. No. 5,342,085 Hirashima et al.; U.S. Pat. No. 5,398,960 Ravenberg et al.; U.S. Pat. No. 5,429,385 Kamiji et al.; U.S. Pat. No. 5,449,196 Ohno et al.; U.S. Pat. No. 5,482,313 Ikeya et al.; U.S. Pat. No. 5,794,967 Manire; U.S. Pat. No. 5,553,887 Karlow et al.; U.S. Pat. No. 5,803,490 Seventko et al.; U.S. Pat. No. 5,839,752 Yamasaki et al.; and U.S. Pat. No. 5,887,891 Taquchi et al.
An object of the present invention is to provide an improved vehicle air bag restraint assembly.
In carrying out the above object, the vehicle air bag restraint assembly of the invention includes a vehicle instrument panel having a support portion, a breakaway air bag door mounted by the support portion, and a housing extension. A vehicle cross beam of the assembly includes an air bag housing to which the housing extension of the instrument panel extends, and an air bag is mounted within the housing and includes an inflator having a threaded connection to the housing. A flexible member of the restraint assembly has a securement portion that is secured to the housing by the threaded connection of the inflator. This flexible member has an intermediate portion that is secured to the housing extension of the instrument panel, and the flexible member has a tether portion that extends to and is secured to the air bag door of the vehicle instrument panel to tether the air bag door when it breaks away from the support portion of the instrument panel upon inflation of the air bag.
In one construction, the instrument panel has a hidden surface including a rectangular break line that defines the breakaway air bag door with a rectangular shape.
In another construction, the breakaway air bag door includes a pair of door portions, with the flexible member having a pair of intermediate portions that are secured to the housing extension of the instrument panel and also having a pair of tether portions that respectively extend to and are secured to the pair of door portions of the door, and with the air bag being located between the pair of tether portions. The pair of tether portions are preferably unitary with each other.
The instrument panel in one construction has a hidden surface that includes an H-shaped break line that defines the pair of door portions, while another construction has the instrument panel provided with a hidden surface that includes a rectangular break line with a central dividing break line that cooperatively define the pair of door portions.
In certain embodiments of the vehicle air bag restraint assembly, the vehicle instrument panel and the air bag housing have fastening portions that provide securement thereof to each other.
A connector extends between the housing extension of the instrument panel and the threaded connection of the air bag inflator to the housing of the cross beam. The connector is embodied by a bracket having a hooked end connected to the housing extension of the instrument panel.
The object, features and advantages of the present invention are readily apparent from the following detailed description of the best mode for carrying out the invention when taken in connection with the accompanying drawings.